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The sky was still a dim, hazy mist when Elena stepped out of the shower. She'd grown used to rising early, but still found that a cold shower was always helpful to perk herself up. Her job as an intern at her local hospital kept her on her toes, and she needed to be on top of her game at all times. This is also why Elena downed two cups of coffee after she blow dried her hair and changed her clothes.
Her roommate, Caroline, was awake too. Despite her job not requiring her to be awake for several more hours, Caroline was one of the few people Elena knew who was a natural morning person. That, and the fact that between Caroline's less than desired salary as an elementary school teacher, and Elena's medical school debt, they found it much more affordable to share one car. Caroline would drive Elena to work every morning, and pick her up whenever Elena called. It was usually absurdly late.
Elena sipped on her third cup of coffee as Caroline finished up getting herself ready for the day.
"Come on, Care. I'd like to get there before you-know-who, or he'll have something to hold over me all day." Elena pressed.
Caroline scoffed. "Do we need to talk about Stefan every morning? It's never 'What are your plans today, Caroline?' or 'Hey, Caroline, thanks for making the coffee.' No. It's always 'You know what my insanely hot coworker did to piss me off this week?'"
Elena raised a brow at her friend's outburst. "Geez, sorry. I didn't realize it bothered you so much."
"It's not that I don't love talking about pretentious, irritating men." Caroline assured her as she layered on her favorite red lip. "It's just, that's clearly not Stefan."
"Can't say I agree with you there."
"Oh, come on. You two have this whole back and forth thing because he's obviously into you."
Elena shook her head and smiled. "Really, Caroline? 'He's mean to you because he likes you?' Isn't that a little junior high?"
"No, you're both mean to each other because you both want to have sex with each other. It's all very mature." Caroline corrects her.
Elena crossed her arms. "I do not want to have sex with Stefan."
"Please." Caroline rolled her eyes. "I've seen him, when you're both walking out as the last interns there. There's no one who doesn't want to have sex with that man."
Elena's face scrunched up into an expression of disgust. "Okay, that's enough from you. Let's get going."
The girls hopped in the car and started towards the hospital. Caroline turned on the radio, and they listen to the weather report as they drive. It's supposed to be a nice day, when the sun finally graces the sky with its presence. Elena's eyes are glued to the clock, and her leg starts bouncing as the minutes slowly increase. Due to traffic, they're behind where they usually are. Stefan is so getting to work before her.
"Relax, you're nowhere near late. You're there early every day. You'll still be early, just by a little less."
Elena shrugs, and turns to the window.
"If you're worried about Stefan, just blame me. Tell him I was running late." Caroline offers. Elena shoots her a smile for trying to help, but she knows this won't limit Stefan's mocking.
When they finally make it to the hospital, Elena hardly spares a goodbye before leaping out and racing for the doors. She moves as fast as she can without causing alarm through the hospital, but is careful to open the door to the locker room slowly. No need for Stefan to know she was rushing.
She was right to assume that Stefan had already arrived. He's changing into his scrubs, bare chested and t-shirt in hand. He grins as Elena waltzes in.
"Running late today, Gilbert? Not very professional of you." He goads.
"You want to talk professionalism? I think most patients would prefer a doctor with a shirt." Elena eyes the scrub shirt laying on the bench that divides their rows of lockers. Stefan makes no move to put it on.
"I'm not sure they'd all agree with you on that." He argues.
"Well, then, for my and our fellow intern's sake, put one on. We're not supposed to be the ones getting sick."
Stefan reaches for his shirt, and Elena turns around to begin changing into her own scrubs. When she finishes, she pulls her hair into a ponytail.
"So, do you not have an excuse for being late?" Stefan prompts as they both begin walking towards the exit.
"First of all, not late. Just less early." Elena corrects, "Second of all, I'll give you an excuse when you provide an excuse as to why you're such a persistently insufferable person to be around." She finishes with a saccharine smile.
"Insults so early in the morning, Gilbert? Usually we wait until closer to lunch."
"Thought I'd get a head start." Elena replies. As she says this, they both quicken their pace at the sight of their resident, Dr. Jenna Sommers. She sees them just a few seconds after they spot her, and groans.
"It is way too early for this." She says, not particularly caring if they overhear.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
Elena and Stefan greet Dr. Sommers synchronously, then shoot each other a glare. Jenna just sighs, not bothering to reciprocate the greeting. She rambles off a few quick assignments for each of them, just to get them started for the day. They meet her again, back in the same spot, about half an hour later when the rest of the interns have arrived. Bonnie, Lexi, and Liam all share a look of dread when they see Stefan and Elena approaching.
Without another word, Jenna takes the lead on rounds. They are introduced to a patient expecting a kidney transplant later that week.
"The most common symptoms of kidney failure include…?" prompts.
"Nausea-" Elena starts first.
"Fatigue, weakness-" Stefan continues.
"Decreased mental sharpness, muscle twitches, cramps-" Elena interrupts, and is then cut off by Stefan.
"Itching, chest pain, and-"
"High blood pressure." Elena finishes with a smile.
Jenna, despite all of the answers being correct, looks exhausted. "Yes, right."
The rest of the rounds go similarly, just as they usually do. Once in a while one of the other interns - usually Bonnie - is quick enough to get in an answer. This doesn't seem to bother Stefan or Elena nearly as much as when its one of them that beats the other to the answer. Even when they are introduced to a patient who needs diagnosing, Elena and Stefan are rambling on about theory after theory, while also poking holes in each other's.
By the time it's their lunch break, it is much needed for everyone. The interns all sit together, as usual. Elena is the first to grab her food from the cafeteria and take a seat outside. She's then joined by Stefan and Lexi, who arrive together, Lexi laughing about something Stefan said. Bonnie is there soon after, with the food her boyfriend, Damon, dropped off for her. He kisses her goodbye before she sits down, and Elena watches the way she looks at him as he walks away. Her chest tightens in a familiar way that she likes to ignore. Since med school, she's been so focused on her career, she hasn't allowed herself to even consider a relationship. She'd had flings here and there, but nothing as serious as Bonnie and Damon.
She quickly pushes away the thought. Liam is the last to arrive, after waiting in the longest line for his food. He sits down with his salad and scans the table- Stefan and Lexi's burgers, Bonnie's fast food, and Elena's pasta. He scoffs.
"Aren't we supposed to be doctors? Fuel your bodies with what's good for you, guys." He gestures to his own salad.
Elena rolls her eyes. If she was being honest, Liam was much worse than Stefan in terms of irritableness. He rarely offered any answers during rounds, but was the first to offer insults veiled as unsolicited advice at any opportunity.
"It's a processed hospital salad drenched in fat-filled dressing, made up primarily of croutons that probably add up to more carbs than my pasta." Elena says to Liam, picking up her fork. "At least mine tastes good."
She's surprised when Stefan laughs at that, and it isn't followed by his usual mocking either. Elena feels her pride swell.
On the other hand, Liam falls silent. In an attempt to ease the tension, Bonnie brings up the case from earlier in the day. The unsolved, undiagnosed patient. It was always intriguing to discuss medical mysteries. They spend most of the rest of lunch analyzing the patient and their symptoms as they eat.
"Even if I could figure it out, I barely have time to think before these two are rambling on about their theories." Lexi looks from Stefan to Elena. Her tone is playful, however, and Stefan responds by elbowing his friend lightly.
"Gotta be quicker on your feet, Lex."
"I think you two are just show offs." Lexi argues.
Elena laughs, "I don't need to show off for Dr. Sommers."
"I don't think any of us think you're showing off for Dr. Sommers." Bonnie glances between Stefan and Elena, fighting a smile.
Elena's cheeks burn, and she avoids looking anywhere in Stefan's direction. She laughs like she doesn't catch on to what Bonnie is implying, and shoves the last of her lunch in her mouth. "I'm done. I'm gonna go see if wants some help."
Stefan glances down at the half-finished food on his plate as Elena stands. "Uh, yeah. I'm full too."
Stefan races after Elena, and manages to make it to the door before she does. Elena quickens her pace, so Stefan does too. Elena goes even faster, and Stefan follows suit. Soon, they're full on racing down the hall to find .
Elena makes it to her first. Jenna is leaned against the counter top that divides her and a nurse sat at a row of computers. They seem to be mid conversation, but this doesn't stop Elena or Stefan. Elena is still going full-speed, and is only stopped by the counter. She slams into it, out of breath.
" -" Elena takes a deep breath and tries to re-situate herself to look more casual. She places a hand on her hip and leans against the counter. "I just finished up lunch early. Wanted to see if you needed-"
"Help!" Stefan arrives, just as abruptly and just as out of breath as Elena. He flashes Jenna a smile. "See if you need help."
"Sure." Jenna forces a smile. She rattles off a few tasks that she herself was dreading, but Stefan and Elena accept with an eagerness. By the time they finish, the rest of the interns have returned from lunch. They continue working, making rounds, and following ' orders.
In spite of himself, Stefan starts to feel sluggish towards the last quarter of his shift. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, even less than usual. He was in desperate need of a power nap, and had yet to take a break since lunch. So, he made a beeline for the on call room, already setting a twenty minute timer on his phone.
To his disappointment, when he enters the room, he isn't alone. Liam sits on one of the couches, sipping on what seemed to be a sort of protein shake.
"Stefan, hey!" Liam greeted his fellow intern a bit too enthusiastically for Stefan's liking. He gave Liam a closed-mouth smile before heading for one of the beds.
Liam doesn't seem to catch on, and makes an attempt at conversation. "You were on fire today, man. Really, those theories were great."
Stefan, too polite to ask Liam to be quiet so he can nap, thanks him.
"I admire your patience, too. Elena is always trying to talk over you. But you don't back down, I respect that." Liam nods, and takes another swig of his shake.
Stefan frowns. Kind of an odd thing to say, but okay. "Thanks?"
"Yeah. I mean, we can't let them walk all over us." Liam continues, standing as he drinks.
"Them?"
"The women. It's crazy that we're the only two guys in our intern class, you know? We have to stick together. And with people like Elena…"
Stefan's jaw tightens. "People like Elena?"
"They really should have just stuck to nursing school. Leave the real stuff up to us." Liam continues.
Stefan's frown deepens. "I really don't think-"
"It would be one thing if they knew their place." Liam ignored Stefan, "But they're so goddamn annoying. Especially Elena."
Stefan presses his lips together.
"God, what a bitch."
Stefan slides off the bed and stands. He steps forward, closer to where Liam stands. Liam, still oblivious, just stares. There's a look of confusion that passes over his features as he takes in Stefan's angered expression, but he doesn't process it quick enough before Stefan's fist is connecting with his face.
Liam's protein shake goes flying, and what's left of is splatters on the wall. Liam begins to fall to the side, but Stefan grips the front of his scrubs. "Let's get something straight. Elena is a better doctor than you will ever be. I don't even remember the next time you spoke a well composed sentence, let alone answered a question during rounds. Maybe focus on not being a complete idiot before you start talking about other interns. Bitch."
Stefan shoves Liam away from him, and storms out of the on call room. There's no more need for a nap, but he could use some ice for his hand. As he's rounding the corner, he slams into Elena. They collide in the hallway, both of them moving so quickly they hadn't been watching where they walked.
Elena recovers quickly. "Can't even walk straight now, Salvatore?"
But then she meets his eyes. Her smile falls. "Hey, what's wrong?"
The concern in her tone, for whatever reason, annoys Stefan even more. "It's nothing." He grunts before pushing past her. Elena watches him go, a quizzical expression on her face. That wasn't like him at all, he'd usually have some snarky response, or at least a playful glare. He wasn't just rude.
She tried to shrug it off and carry on with her day. Stefan did the same. He found Lexi and she got him ice for his hand, and after a few minutes he returned to work as if nothing had happened. Liam wouldn't say anything, he knew. He couldn't tell Jenna what happened without Stefan explaining to her what he had said. He tried to forget it happened at all, tried to forget the startling anger he'd felt when Liam began to insult Elena. He wasn't used to defending her. In fact, all he'd ever done was fight with her. But that was a rivalry, something that kept them both going and at the top of their game. Liam had crossed that line. He was just doing the right thing. He would've done the same if Liam had called Lexi or Bonnie a bitch. Right?
The rest of the day seemed to move slowly. As usual, Stefan and Elena were the last interns there. After Jenna ordered them both to leave before they went over the legal amount of hours worked, they headed back to the locker room. Stefan arrived first, but not by much. He had just opened his locker when Elena followed. He noticed the difference in her demeanor immediately. Normally, she'd walk in, dragging her feet on the ground. Her ponytail would somehow still be perfect after the day's events, but it would look like she was actively having to try not to close her eyes. She'd wear that tired half-grin she did when they were both worn down from the day, and they'd go back and forth with a few half-hearted blows at each other before leaving.
Today, she was not tired. She storms into the locker room so fast, Stefan nearly jumps. She slams the door shut, and approaches Stefan in the once again empty locker room.
"I heard what happened today." She crosses her arms.
Stefan groans. Lexi.
"Look, I don't know exactly what Liam said but I do not need you to defend me, okay? I don't need a hero. I don't need protecting. Punching him was just stupid, and you hurt your hand doing it, so that makes you even more stupid." She begins yelling before Stefan can even get out a word.
After recovering from the initial shock of Elena yelling at him- she'd never actually been angry at him before, he realizes- Stefan grows mad too. He'd just been defending her, and now she's mad about it?
"Liam had it coming. It wasn't all about you. Besides, what's so bad about me defending you?" Stefan argues.
"I just don't need you to. We aren't...we aren't friends. Don't use me as an excuse to feel like a big, strong man! I'm not some damsel in distress. If you really wanted to help, you could have just told me what Liam said." Elena yells back.
"Well, excuse me for trying to do the right thing. It won't happen again."
"Oh, great, thanks. That's a wonderful apology." Elena laughs humorlessly.
"You want an apology?" Stefan barks a bitter laugh. "Fine. I'm sorry I defended you. I'm sorry I didn't want Liam going around calling you a bitch. I'm sorry that hearing him talk about you like that made me want to do more than just hit him once, and I had to walk away. Forgive me." His voice bounces off the walls of the locker room.
Elena stares at Stefan, shaking her head. "Why do you even care, Stefan?" Her voice is much quieter now. "I mean, you seem to want to make my life hell at work, but no one else can?"
"I make your life hell?" Stefan questions, his frown melting. His voice had dropped too.
Elena opens her mouth to speak, then closes it again. She shuts her eyes, then directs them to the ground.
"No." She finally answers.
Stefan swallows. "No?"
"You don't make my life hell." Elena clarifies. A silence settles between them, neither sure how to continue.
"I just don't get why you care." Elena repeats, "We aren't friends. I'd assume if someone was insulting me behind my back, you'd just join in."
Stefan's eyes darken. "I wouldn't."
"Why not?"
"Because!" Stefan explodes again, but doesn't offer any real answer.
"What are we doing, Stefan? I know this started as some immature workplace rivalry, but I think it's more than that now. I think everyone around us has realized it, and I think we're just lying to ourselves. I think there's a reason you got so angry when Liam said those things about me."
Stefan turns, facing the lockers. His voice is quiet again. "Why? Because I love you?"
Despite the fact that Elena had gone through four years of med school, and knew very well it was anatomically impossible, she swore in that moment she felt her heart stop. "Yeah." She finally replied, her voice shaking. "That's right, Stefan. Because you love me."
Stefan's breath hitches. He still doesn't turn to face her. Elena stares, waiting.
"That's quite the assumption, Gilbert." He finally says, and Elena deflates. She fights the tears that threaten to surface, the sting of Stefan's rejection much worse than what she'd braced herself for.
"Fine." She swallows. She hates the way her voice quivers, "I guess I was wrong. I guess it has nothing to do with me, maybe you were just having a bad day and needed an excuse to hit someone. Whatever. Forget I said anything."
Elena no longer wants to go through the trouble of changing, not with him there. She stuffs her clothes from her locker into her bag as fast as she can, then starts towards the door. She looks straight ahead, hoping that if she pretends Stefan isn't there the pounding in her chest will slow.
As she reaches for the door handle, Stefan calls out.
"Elena." His voice is quiet at first, then louder. "Elena."
She thinks about ignoring him. She thinks about just opening the door, and continuing to walk away. What does she owe him, anyway? She wasn't in the mood for one last jab.
Even as she's thinking all of this, she's turning around. She began turning around the second she heard his voice. She faces him, forcing herself to meet his eyes. She won't back down, not now, not after all this time.
Stefan's expression softens her hardened frown, and before she can fully process what's happening, Stefan is striding towards her. He takes her face in his hands forcefully and the rough skin of his hands meets her soft skin. He pulls her forward, and his lips are on hers. Elena stiffens at the shock of it all, but quickly melts into the kiss. She drops her bag to the ground, and her hands find his neck, then his hair. Stefan deepens the kiss as his hands travel down Elena's back to her waist, and Elena's feet shuffle backwards until her back hits a locker. Stefan uses a hand against the lockers to balance himself, Elena uses one hand to pull him down by his neck while the other grips his scrub shirt.
Stefan is the first one to break the kiss. His lips are still centimeters away from hers as he looks her in the eyes, questioning.
"On call room?" Elena asks aloud, and all she needs is a nod from Stefan for both of them to be running for the door. They begin speeding down the hallway, this time together, Elena keeping a hand on Stefan's arm.
"Hey!" A voice calls out to them as they turn a corner. They both freeze, and look to find 's scowling at them. "Didn't I tell you both to go home? What the hell are you still doing here?"
"Oh, sorry, we were just-" Elena begins, but Jenna cuts her off.
"I gave very clear orders. If you can't follow the most simple orders, how are you ever supposed to follow directions in an OR? I won't say it again: go home. I don't want to see either of your faces again until the morning. Understood?"
"Yes, very sorry." Elena apologizes.
"Understood." Stefan nods.
Jenna gives them one last exasperated expression before walking off. Stefan starts laughing, and Elena follows, hiding hers in the crook of Stefan's neck. She then takes his arm with both hands, and they run the rest of the way to the on call room.
As soon as the door is shut, Elena is on Stefan again. She wraps both arms around his neck, and their lips don't break even as Stefan leans them back onto a bed. Elena hands fumble with Stefan's shirt.
"Are you sure? You won't get sick?" Stefan teases, a sly smile stretching across his face.
Elena rolls her eyes. "Shut up." She brings her lips to his again, effectively shutting him up.
Afterwards, they lay in the on call room together in that bed, Elena's head resting on Stefan's chest. He runs his fingers through her hair, and Elena traces shapes with her finger on his chest. She'd seen him undressed before more times than she can count, but she'd never actually taken the time to admire him. She could tell by the way Stefan was looking down at her that he was thinking the same thing.
"You know, I never thanked you." He spoke suddenly.
A smile graced Elena's lips, "Oh? For what?"
"You know, it all. I know I drive you crazy, but you keep me on my toes. You challenge me. You make me better." He explains, and brushes his lips against the top of her head. "So thank you."
Elena lifts her head to look at Stefan, "You make me better, too."
She kisses him lightly, then rests her head back on his chest. He hums, content. After a few more moments, he speaks again, and she knows him well enough to hear the smile in his voice.
"You're not gonna start going easy on me now, right?"
Elena shakes her head. "In your dreams."